US Rejects over 12,000 American Citizenship Applications in 3 Months, Releases Details
- USCIS data showed that 12,591 Form N-400 naturalisation applications were denied between April 1 and June 30, 2026
- The citizenship application denials represent nearly 19% of all processed N-400 cases decided within the same three-month period
- A massive backlog of over 727,000 applications remained pending at the close of the quarter, dwarfing approvals
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New data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows that more than 12,000 applications for American citizenship were rejected in just three months, raising fresh concerns about access to naturalisation for immigrants across the country.
The figures, drawn from the USCIS immigration and citizenship data library covering April 1 to June 30, 2026, show that 12,591 Form N-400 applications for naturalisation were denied during the quarter.
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That figure represents roughly 18.6% of all decided cases in the period, meaning nearly one in five applicants who received a decision was turned away.
US citizenship application: How the numbers break down
Of the 140,179 applications received during the quarter, USCIS approved 54,974 and denied 12,591, bringing total decided cases to 67,565.
The denial rate among decided applications stood at approximately 18.6%, compared to an approval rate of about 81.4%.
However, the most striking figure in the dataset is the pending backlog. At the close of the quarter, 727,371 applications were still awaiting a decision, a number that dwarfs both approvals and denials combined and points to significant processing delays within the system.
The data comes from the USCIS Fiscal Year 2026, Quarter 3 report on Form N-400 applications, broken down by category of naturalisation, case status, and field office location across the United States.
US citizenship application: What the figures mean for applicants
The high volume of pending cases suggests that many applicants have been waiting well beyond the quarter in question for their cases to be resolved. With over 727,000 applications sitting in the queue, the gap between applications received and cases decided indicates the agency processed fewer cases than it took in during the period.
For Nigerian immigrants and others in the diaspora pursuing American citizenship, the figures underscore the difficulty and uncertainty involved in the naturalisation process.
Applicants whose cases fall into the denial column face the possibility of re-filing or, in some situations, pursuing a formal review of the decision.
USCIS has not issued a separate public statement specifically addressing the denial numbers for this quarter. The data is published as part of the agency's routine statistical reporting available on its official data portal.
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that the US had ended automatic work permit extensions for certain foreign workers.
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Presidential Proclamation 10998 covers a wider group of 39 countries in total, where entry and visa issuance have been either fully or partially suspended.
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Source: Legit.ng
